Montclair train station reopens with new restaurant, waiting area

Alexandra Pais/Local New Jersey News ServiceInside the Montclair Station Casual Dining and Bar during the grand opening of the Upper Montclair Train Station on Friday June 18, 2010.

MONTCLAIR — After a fire four years ago, not much was left of the historic Upper Montclair Train Station except for burnt rubble.

On Friday, local and state leaders gathered to mark the grand opening of the rebuilt station on Bellevue Avenue, which houses a restaurant and bar, public restrooms and a customer waiting area.

The 2,800-square foot building was reconstructed as part of a partnership between New Jersey Transit, the Township of Montclair and the private Little Falls-based developer Notchwood LLC. The architectural design was created to resemble the original station built in 1892, which is listed in the national and state registers of historic places.

Since the station burned down, commuters went without shelter, waiting in rain, snow and heat. Trains pass through the station about 50 times each weekday.

Ralph Nuzzo, co-owner of Notchwood, said the project, which was three years in the making, cost almost twice as much as he expected. Although he thinks the location is excellent, the bureaucratic delays and conflicting regulations were frustrating.

“It took us a little bit longer, and it cost us a lot more money than we anticipated, but we’re very glad we finally reached today,” he said at the ceremony. “And that part of it is all over. It’s behind us. We’re happy to go forward.”

He expected the project to cost $1 million, but it came in closer to $2 million, he said. NJ Transit contributed $287,000 from fire insurance toward demolition and construction.
Nuzzo said he worked with the local building office, the state Historic Preservation Office and NJ Transit, and at times the agencies had conflicting regulations.

Alexandra Pais/The Star-LedgerMontclair Mayor Jerry Fried speaks during the grand opening of the Upper Montclair Train Station on Friday June 18, 2010.

“You’re caught between them, and sometimes one authority will not yield to the other,” he said in an interview later. He wants the legislature to streamline the process.

Nuzzo and his wife Lynn own the restaurant named Montclair Station, which had a soft opening at the end of March, while his brother Charles is the general manager and operator. In 2007, NJ Transit’s board of directors approved a 10-year lease with Notchwood, with the option to renew for three five-year periods. Nuzzo said in exchange for the capital he put up to rebuild the station, his lease costs nothing in the beginning and gradually builds up.

The restaurant has 18-foot-high vaulted ceilings and travertine marble floors. It also features a sports bar with six flat-screen TVs.

Although NJ Transit officials say the Upper Montclair station averages about 500 commuters on a typical weekday, Nuzzo said the number so far seems to be lower, which he attributes to the recession.

“We are optimistic,” he said. “We do think there is a change in sight. We think our location is an excellent location.”